Roselyn Ngissah
One of Ghana’s prominent actresses, Roselyn Ngissah, has revealed that she lost lots of movie roles because of her plus size.
The actress, who has featured in a number of movies shot in the country, said the only thing she did then was to believe in herself regardless of her plus size.
“Some movie producers refused to give me certain roles to play because they feel I am not sexy and can’t play sexy, and then put a slim person there, but I believe if I had been given that role, I would have performed better that the slim person,” she said.
She was speaking at the Access Bank Pan-African Conference dubbed, “Woman, Be Unstoppable; Break the Bias,” a platform created for women to collectively promote a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination, and embrace one that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
It also sought to inspire women across the African continent to look beyond the biases they face and pursue their dreams.
Sharing her past experiences with participants at the conference, the actress mentioned that some of the local movie producers condemned her size, and told her in the face that she does not fit for a movie role.
“I never gave up, and instead, I had to upgrade and better my craft to make me who I am today,” she added.
According to her, after her successful role in ‘4play’ movie, the producers who condemned her size are now chasing her for roles.
She urged women to accept their looks, upgrade themselves in their craft instead of concentrating on what people think about them.
A graduate of University Ghana’s School of Performing Arts, she is known for her roles in several movies including ‘Reckless’, ‘Broadway’, ‘I Stand Accused’, ‘Princess Tyra’, ‘Power of the Gods’, ‘Last Victory’, ‘My Sister’s Honour’, ‘Sin Of The Soul’, ‘4play’, ‘A Sting In A Tale’, and ‘Adams Apples’.
She has been around for a while, but her role in Venus Films’ ‘4play’ gave her the opportunity she needed to show her talent.
BY Linda Tenyah-Ayettey